Dr Zahid Shahab Ahmed is Peace Direct's Pakistan Local Peacebuilding Expert and a Senior Research Fellow at Deakin University in Australia. He received his PhD from the University of New England (UNE) in Australia, and has taught peace and conflict studies at universities in Australia and Pakistan. Since 2003, he has worked with local and international development agencies in South Asia, especially in Pakistan, on various peacebuilding and development projects. He has published and presented papers on a wide range of issues, including Islam, human rights, peace & conflict, regionalism, and regional security.